False cypress is a true wonder

Updated 3:05 am, Sunday, December 9, 2012

'Treasure Island' has a Christmas tree form and golden tips on green foliage.

'Treasure Island' has a Christmas tree form and golden tips on green foliage.

Photo: Youngblood Nursery

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'Gold Fern,' lights up an area.

'Gold Fern,' lights up an area.

Photo: Youngblood Nursery

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'Gold Fern,' lights up an area; 'Blue Surprise' can shield it.

'Gold Fern,' lights up an area; 'Blue Surprise' can shield it.

Photo: Youngblood Nursery

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C. 'Treasure Island'

C. 'Treasure Island'

Photo: Youngblood Nursery

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C. 'Gold Fern'

C. 'Gold Fern'

Photo: Youngblood Nursery

False cypress is a true wonder

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As we ease into winter, our choices of what we'll add to our gardens shifts more to shrubs and trees, especially those that are evergreen. Conifers are near the top of many a gardener's list, but for some of us adding a spruce or a fir is simply not an option, given their size. There are, however, a great many small conifers on the market, and one of my favorites is chamaecyparis, commonly known as false cypress.

While there are taller trees in this genus, there is an impressive array of dwarf, shrub-like varieties available. Hailing from Japan, Taiwan and North America, they feature flattened sprays of scale-like, overlapping adult leaves and larger, ovate to linear juvenile leaves.

Sizes range from 18 inches to 6 feet, with a selection of colors ranging from golden to light-green, darker green, grayish-blue and deeper blue. The shapes are just as varied, with pyramids, globes, those with an open, splayed branching habit, even several with contorted, twisting foliage. Most of these dwarf shrubs are from the C. lawsoniana, C. obtusa and C. pisifera species.

Because of their modest proportions, these dwarf varieties have many possibilities in the garden. They make wonderful focal points, whether in the ground or grown in containers. They grow slowly, so they can be planted in a rock garden or even used as a low border. Of course they would be a wonderful addition to a conifer garden, especially one with more modest-size plants. These dwarf varieties can even be grown as bonsais.

Chamaecyparis are great for adding unique texture to the garden and are perfect as foreground plantings. Distinctive and often colorful, they are especially valuable as focal points, where their personalities can be on full display.

Once you've seen a good selection of these unique shrubs, it can be hard to just pick one (or two). Here are three of my favorites.

C. pisifera 'Curly Tops': Known as Sawara cypress, this dwarf features pretty, silvery-blue foliage, contorted in such a way that the tips resemble curls. Rounded in habit, it tops out at 3 to 4 feet. The foliage may turn an interesting violet-purple in the winter months. Great as an accent plant. Needs no pruning or trimming. Full to part sun. Zones 3-9.

C. lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise': If it's a taller, slender variety you're after, then look no further than this exquisite, steel blue member of the Lawson cypress group. Its narrow, upright habit (to 6 feet) and soft, delicate foliage make it an excellent choice for a tall border or as an eye-catching featured container specimen. Full to part sun. Zones 5-9.

C. obtusa 'Gold Fern': A new and certain to be popular open-branched variety of the obtusa species, 'Gold Fern' is aptly named. Its shimmering, golden new foliage really lights up the landscape and on closer examination, it reveals delicate fern-like foliage. Despite its modest stature (18 inches), this shrub will cause quite the sensation in your garden. Likes a bit of shade. Zones 4-8.

Four other varieties are real standouts. C. lawsoniana 'Rimpelaar' offers vivid blue tones and very low, curling branches. Another lawsoniana hybrid, the curiously named 'Treasure Island' offers a Christmas tree form and golden tips on green foliage and tops out at 18 inches. C. obtusa 'Nana Lutea' is quite unusual, with its golden, twisted branch panels that almost look like DNA strands. Finally, there's C. thyoides 'Red Star,' featuring lovely, star-shaped, blue-green needles making a soft-textured, dense cone to 3 feet tall. It acquires a beautiful red color in winter.

Cultivation

Grow in neutral to slightly acidic well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Most chamaecyparis are slow growing so don't require much pruning. If desired, this can be done from late spring to early autumn, taking care not to cut into old wood. All varieties are very hardy, with most suitable for USDA zones 4-8.

Pests & diseases

Root rot and needle blight can be problems. Good drainage is essential. Pumice, composted fir bark and/or loamy soil can be used as an amendment.

Availability

Chamaecyparis varieties can be found at Sloat Garden Centers in San Francisco and Marin, Grand Lake Ace Garden Center in Oakland and Berkeley Horticultural Nursery.